Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska (pop. 13,948) is protected by a combination system on the Ketchikan road network: the Ketchikan Fire Department, with career crews on 48-hour shifts plus volunteers, covers the City of Ketchikan from three stations, while two borough service areas run the North Tongass and South Tongass volunteer fire departments. South Tongass also covers the City of Saxman. Most of the borough's 4,858 square miles of land lies off the road system, with no published fire department.
Ketchikan Fire Department (non-emergency)
(907) 225-9616- North Tongass Volunteer Fire Department: (907) 228-6710
- South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department: (907) 228-6673
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough (main line): (907) 228-6625
- Ketchikan Fire Department Station 1, 70 Bawden St, Ketchikan, AK 99901, USA
- ketchikan.gov/kfd-faq (City of Ketchikan Fire Department)
- Borough offices (White Cliff Building, 1900 First Ave): Mon–Fri 8:00–17:00 (AKT)
Who Provides Fire Protection in Ketchikan Gateway Borough
- Ketchikan Fire Department — the City of Ketchikan's combination department: 4 administrative staff and 15 career personnel on three shifts (48 hours on, 96 off), backed by about 15–25 paid-on-call volunteers. It answers about 2,100 calls a year (a recent job posting says 2,800), runs the ambulance, and helps the two volunteer departments on major incidents anywhere on the island.
- North Tongass Volunteer Fire Department — fire and EMS for the North Tongass service area, from the northern city limits to the end of State Highway 7, plus the roads to Harriet Hunt Lake and Ward Lake.
- South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department — fire and EMS for the South Tongass service area (southeastern city limits to Herring Bay) and the City of Saxman, about 3,100 residents. The service area also runs a water system with hydrants.
Both volunteer departments are borough service areas; the borough lists a chief, a captain and firefighter/EMTs on each. Saxman has no separate department: South Tongass keeps an engine stationed there. Ketchikan International Airport, run by the borough on Gravina Island, has its own aircraft rescue and firefighting cover (FAA index B); it is not counted here. Who answers and dispatches 911 calls is not published on the city or borough sites. For any emergency, call 911.
Fire Departments in Ketchikan Gateway Borough
| Department | Type | Main station | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ketchikan Fire Department | Combination (3 stations) | 70 Bawden St, Ketchikan, AK 99901 (Station 1) | (907) 225-9616 |
| North Tongass VFD | Volunteer (borough fire & EMS service area) | 13110 N Tongass Hwy, Ketchikan, AK 99901 | (907) 228-6710 |
| South Tongass VFD | Volunteer (borough service area, incl. Saxman) | 5690 Roosevelt Dr, Ketchikan, AK 99901 (Station Four) | (907) 228-6673 |
Volunteer stations are not always staffed. For anything urgent, call 911 rather than a station number.
Fire Stations
| Station | Address |
|---|---|
| Ketchikan FD Station 1 (engine staffed daily) | 70 Bawden St, Ketchikan, AK 99901 |
| Ketchikan FD Station 2 (ambulance staffed daily) | 3352 Tongass Ave, Ketchikan, AK 99901 |
| Ketchikan FD Station 3 | 5401 N Tongass Hwy, Ketchikan, AK 99901 |
| North Tongass VFD | 13110 N Tongass Hwy, Ketchikan, AK 99901 |
| South Tongass Station Four (under reconstruction) | 5690 Roosevelt Dr, Ketchikan, AK 99901 |
A fire on April 9, 2024 made South Tongass Station Four unusable. The borough awarded a $1,924,490 first-phase rebuild in July 2025 and expected the station to reopen in late August or early September 2026; South Tongass crews worked from Ketchikan Fire Station 1 after the fire.
Estimated Response Time
Method: we divide each department's own service area, not the whole borough, by its stations. In the City of Ketchikan, two stations staffed around the clock share about 3.81 square miles of land, an average radius of roughly 0.8 mile. The North and South Tongass service areas are strips along the highway whose size is not published, so no radius is calculated; volunteers must first reach the station, and time grows with distance along the road. Remote, water-access-only parts of the borough, such as Loring, have no published structural fire protection.
| Radius | Ketchikan (combination) | North & South Tongass (volunteer) |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 1.5 mi | 5–8 min | 8–12 min |
| 1.5–3 mi | 7–10 min | 10–14 min |
| 3–6 mi | 9–13 min | 12–18 min |
| > 6 mi | 13+ min | 18+ min |
Typical expectation: about 5–8 minutes for most addresses in the City of Ketchikan, and 8–14 minutes near the North and South Tongass stations, longer toward the ends of the highway.
Estimated Fire Control Time
| Fire size | Example | Indicative time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Grass patch, dumpster, small vehicle | 5–20 min |
| Medium | Room-and-contents, car fully involved | 15–45 min |
| Large | Whole house, commercial unit | 45–120 min |
| Major | Multi-alarm, industrial, large woodland fire | 2–12+ hours |
The three departments back each other up under mutual aid agreements. When Station Four burned in 2024, Ketchikan and North Tongass crews responded, the State Fire Marshal loaned an engine and the City and Borough of Wrangell sent an ambulance by barge. Help from outside the borough arrives by sea or air, so expect the upper end of each range for large fires.
Apparatus & Equipment
- Ketchikan FD engine staffed daily (Station 1)
- 1
- Ketchikan FD ambulance staffed daily (Station 2)
- 1
- South Tongass vehicles destroyed in the 2024 station fire
- 3
- South Tongass vehicles smoke-damaged (7-year-old engine, 10-year-old ambulance)
- 2
Full fleet lists are not published by any of the three departments.
- Fire suppression
- EMS / ambulance
- Hydrants (South Tongass)
- Mutual aid
Services & Community Programs
- Emergency alerts: the borough is moving its community alerts to Everbridge; residents must register again to keep receiving them.
- Fireworks: the borough publishes a fireworks permit application.
- Volunteer firefighting: Ketchikan FD recruits paid-on-call firefighter/EMTs; North and South Tongass recruit through their own departments.
Ratings & Accreditation
ISO Public Protection Classification ratings for the borough's fire departments are not published.
Outdoor burning: The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection requires a burn permit from April 1 to August 31. For the Tongass area it issues an online small-scale permit for one burn barrel, under 1 acre of maintained grass, or one brush pile under 10 feet across and 4 feet high; campfires under 3 feet need no permit. Information: (907) 269-8400. South Tongass VFD publishes its own open-burning policy; inside the city, ask the Ketchikan Fire Department.
Neighboring Boroughs & Regions
- City and Borough of Wrangell, AK (north)
- Prince of Wales–Hyder Census Area, AK (east and west)
- Kitimat–Stikine Regional District, British Columbia (east)
- Skeena–Queen Charlotte Regional District, British Columbia (south)
FAQ
What is the non-emergency number for fire in Ketchikan Gateway Borough?
Ketchikan Fire Department: (907) 225-9616. North Tongass VFD: (907) 228-6710. South Tongass VFD: (907) 228-6673. For any fire or medical emergency, always call 911.
Who fights fires outside the City of Ketchikan?
North Tongass Volunteer Fire Department covers the road north of the city, and South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department covers the road south to Herring Bay and the City of Saxman. Ketchikan Fire Department assists on major incidents.
Does Saxman have its own fire department?
No. Saxman is served by the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department, which keeps an engine stationed in Saxman.
How fast does the fire department respond in Ketchikan Gateway Borough?
About 5–8 minutes for the first unit in the City of Ketchikan and about 8–14 minutes near the North and South Tongass stations, longer toward the ends of the highway. Remote, water-access-only areas have no published fire protection.
Do I need a burn permit in Ketchikan Gateway Borough?
From April 1 to August 31, yes: the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection issues an online small-scale burn permit for burn barrels and small brush piles. Inside the city, ask the Ketchikan Fire Department.
Last verified:
- City of Ketchikan — Fire Department FAQ (staffing, shifts, calls)
- City of Ketchikan — Fire Stations map (station addresses)
- City of Ketchikan — Firefighter/EMT job posting (minimum staffing, island-wide response)
- Alaska Division of Fire and Life Safety — Fire Department Directory 2025 (Ketchikan FD phone)
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough — Fire Department directory (addresses, phones, staff roles)
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough — Service Areas
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough — North Tongass Service Area (boundaries, powers)
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough — South Tongass Service Area (boundaries, hydrants)
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough — South Tongass VFD (Saxman, borough phone, hours)
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough — Station Four Reconstruction (contract, reopening)
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough — South Tongass station fire, update 2 (2024) (vehicles, Saxman engine, mutual aid)
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough — Mass Notification System
- Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — Burn Permits
- Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection — Tongass area small-scale permit
- Alaska's News Source — Disaster declaration after fire station blaze (2024) (residents served, loans)
- KRBD — Borough moves forward rebuilding South Tongass fire station (2025)
- AirNav — Ketchikan International Airport (ARFF index B)
- Business View Magazine — Ketchikan International Airport (2020) (borough operation)
- Wikipedia — Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska (2020 population, area, neighbors, Loring)
- Wikipedia — Ketchikan, Alaska (city land area, Gravina Island airport)